Hard Time

Genesis for this composition was an overheard misunderstood conversation. Somebody sitting next to me spoke a common cliche, "he's between a rock and a hard place," but I thought at first she had said "hard time." Next morning at coffee break some pugilistic lines started percolating, until eventually the entire song took shape.

She knocked him out like a blow from a boxing glove
He told her he was never lucky at love
Now he's giving it his best shot at hitting the Big Time
He’s a welterweight
Living between a rock and hard time

She convinced him robbing an ATM would be fun
Then he bought a gun now he's on the run
They say you can't secure your fortune without first committing some crime
He's just an unlucky schmuck
Living between a rock and hard time

They say a person can't change their essence
But sometimes a violent act can make a big difference
They say you can never go home again
He's doing his best to make sure that new home ain't the state pen

Silently slipping into small towns incognito
Wolfing down quickie lunches of beans and burritos
Everything he knew has changed
Ever since he crossed over the line
He’s a contender on a bender
Living between a rock and hard time
He’s just a champ turned chump
Living between a rock and hard time

Language use
There seems to be a fine line in language use between having words that work together conceptually while not overloading the concept. I stripped away several pugilistic terms to keep the story trim. Maybe that diet helps it work?

Thanks for the comment. I'll check out your songs here to return the favor.

Quirky
great words Warren! A nitpicker would probably mention the occasional timing lapse, but I don't think that's the point with your music. This tells a good story and certainly held my interest the whole way through (not easy to do these days!).
Neil

I thought we were suppose to mellow with age … and therefore improve upon our attention span. But that doesn't seem to be happening. I notice I more freely abandon things that aren't engaging - whether it's reading a book to the end, watching a movie to its conclusion … or making it all the way to the end of a song. Maybe we are running out of time?

Born in a Minnesota blizzard, I'm now residing in a coastal heat of Brooklyn, New York City.
I recorded my first original composition as a teenager using a reel-to-reel tape recorder back in 1967, and I'm still finding it a creative challenge... [see more]

A ballad is a story in a song, usually a narrative song or poem. It is a rhythmic saga of a past affair, which may be heroic, romantic or satirical, political (affected by the previous three types mentioned, refers to either glorifying the exploits o